After his party largely downplayed its desire to eliminate
abortion rights in Virginia in recent years, Virginia Delegate
Bob Thomas (R) admitted that the real goal is to win back the
governor’s mansion and a narrow majority in the legislature to
do just that.

In recent weeks, lawmakers in Georgia enacted clearly
unconstitutional legislation to almost completely eliminate the
right to choose whether to have an abortion. The new law
prohibits the vast majority of abortions after a physician can
first detect cardiac activity — which can occur as early as six
weeks’ gestation, well before many people even know about their
pregnancies.

Though the United States Supreme Court made clear
inRoe v. WadeandPlanned
Parenthood v. Texas that restrictions like this
violate constitutional rights, Georgia is one of several states
with governments attempting to test whether the new more
conservative majority on the high court will overturn its
precedents. Legislators in Alabama just passed an even more
extreme abortion ban, prohibiting almost all abortions at all
times.

In a radio interview with conservative host John Fredericks
last week — flagged by American Bridge 21st Century — Thomas
was asked whether near-total abortion bans like the one just
enacted in Georgia go to far. He said they do not and that if
the Republicans can win back the governorship and hold the
legislature, they will bring such a law to Virginia.

“I don’t believe it’s too extreme,” Thomas said. “I think the
problem we have here in Virginia is we have a Democrat [sic]
governor. We’ve had one for a decade now. And if we’re ever to
take the tide back and and start putting some of those laws in
Virginia, we have to find candidates who can win in blue areas
of the state.”

“I would love to see Virginia move that way but we have to have
a governor who’s willing to sign these things. So we have to
make some real progress in the next two years.”

Republicans hold a narrow 51 to 49 majority in the Virginia
House of Delegates and a similar 21 to 19 majority in the state
Senate. All 120 seats are up this November. A successor to Gov.
Ralph Northam (D) will be elected in November 2021, as Virginia
does not allow its governors to serve two terms in a row.

Polls and recent statewide elections have made clear that
Virginia is a staunchly pro-choice state. A February found that
just 34% of Virginians want stricter abortion laws and nearly a
fifth would actually like to see fewer restrictions.

Thomas did not immediately respond to a ThinkProgress query
about his abortion ban plans.

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